sprawl

verb

/sprɔːl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they sprawl	/sprɔːl/ /sprɔːl/
he / she / it sprawls	/sprɔːlz/ /sprɔːlz/
past simple sprawled	/sprɔːld/ /sprɔːld/
past participle sprawled	/sprɔːld/ /sprɔːld/
-ing form sprawling	/ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/ /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/

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[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to sit, lie or fall with your arms and legs spread out in a relaxed or careless way
- He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV.
- Something hit her and sent her sprawling to the ground.
- I tripped and went sprawling.
Extra Examples
- She found him sprawled across the doorstep.
- She lay sprawled across the bed.
- She sprawled lazily in an armchair.
- She went sprawling across the boat.
- The blow sent him sprawling.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- lazily
- out
preposition
- across
- in
- on
- …
phrases
- find somebody sprawled across, on, etc. something
- go sprawling
- lie sprawled
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] + adv./prep. to spread in an untidy way; to cover a large area
- The town sprawled along the side of the lake.

Word OriginOld English spreawlian ‘move the limbs convulsively’; related to Danish sprælle ‘kick or splash about’. The noun dates from the early 18th cent.

sprawl

noun

/sprɔːl/

[uncountable, countable, usually singular]

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a large area covered with buildings that spreads from the city into the countryside in an ugly way
- attempts to control the fast-growing urban sprawl
- a sprawl of buildings
Word OriginOld English spreawlian ‘move the limbs convulsively’; related to Danish sprælle ‘kick or splash about’. The noun dates from the early 18th cent.